Current weather

By the numbers

3.2: million. Estimated number of students taking at least one course online this past fall, according to the Sloan Consortium survey, "Making the Grade Online Education in the United States, 2006."

62: Percentage of chief academic officers who agree the learning outcomes in online education now are as good as or superior to face-to-face instruction.

57: Percentage of these officers who say it is critical to their institution's long-term strategy.

Web oversight

75: Percentage of U.S. companies that monitor employee Web site connections, according to a study conducted by the ePolicy Institute.

65: Percentage of U.S. companies that block employee access to specific sites.

35: Percentage of U.S. companies that track the content, keystrokes and time spent at the keyboard by employees.

Graduate hires

17.4: Percentage increase in the number of new college graduates U.S. employers plan to hire in 2007 from 2006, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

4: Number of years in a row employers have predicted an increase in college graduate hiring.

70: Percentage of interns of U.S. employers who were extended job offers in 2006.

Coming to America

1: Rank of the United States among the world's worst international travel destinations in terms of the overall difficulty of its entry procedures, according to a survey conducted by the Discover America Partnership.

51: Percentage of travelers who said that U.S. immigration officials are "rude."

33: Percentage of travelers who said they feared being detained by U.S. authorities for making a "simple" error.

Work and music

32: Percentage of workers who listen to music while working using an iPod, MP3 player or similar personal music device, according to the Spherion Workplace Snapshot survey.

79: Percentage of those who feel that doing so improves their job satisfaction and/or productivity.

Seeking feedback

24: Percentage of both Generation-X (born 1965 to 1979) and Generation-Y (born 1980 and after) workers who said they would like feedback from their boss at least once a week, according to a Hudson survey.

20: Percentage of baby boomers (born 1946 to 1964) who want feedback that frequently.

11: Percentage of traditionalists (born 1928 to 1945) who would like that level of communication.

Creative value

115: thousand dollars. Average annual salary paid to U.S. digital creative directors in 2005, according to a survey conducted by Talent Zoo.